WELL! Here we finally are with this! But now, here's some information, and a full summary...

Summary: It's a new year at Domino High School! Tension is high, despite everyone's want to relax. It doesn't help that a new transfer student arrives, with the on-edge sciences teacher as her guardian during her time in Japan. With the transfer's strange fears, uptight nature and reluctance to speak about herself might not be too odd, but when a "visitor" of her guardian's suddenly makes an appearance, it's definitely clear: she's running; hiding. Let's join the gang on their journey traversing a shivering soul's landscape and an odd girl's proccess of acceptance and slow unpeeling of her personality and inner thoughts.

Rated: Teen, for possible future content (cussing, blood&gore, unpleasant flashbacks with blood&gore, vomit, weapons...)

What's the AU?: It's a partial AU, in all honesty. It's pretty much the Yu-Gi-Oh! post-series, except the normal timeline happened when they were in middle school, and Yami has a body. Yup yup, the explination will probably be cliche, but seriously, I can't see these stories happening without him. At first I was going to try without having him in and I'd always catch myself writing a scene with him in there... So yeah, my brain refuses to leave him out.

!WARNING! There WILL BE ANGST in this story! It will be settle at first and even then it only becomes clearer as angst at maybe the 5th or 4th chapter.

What happens in this chapter?: Character descriptions, appearances, hints and foreshadowing! It's setting the stage for it all, I guess you could say. Gaile doesn't show up in this chapter, but her guardian does, and it's made clear who that is.

NOTE!: PLEASE tell me if I make mistakes, can improve this or anything you can give me tips on; it would be much appreciated, because as much as I like my writing I know it's not the best, so I'd like anything you can give me. But, flames will be ignored and/or reported. And then if all else fails the flames will be thrown to the flame-eating wolves.

...

Oh, one more thing!

DISCLAIMER!: I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH! If I did Yami wouldn't have left in such a tear-jerking way, 4kids! would have never gotten a liscence to dub the series, and Yami wouldn't have known what the heck he's been called over the years at Duelist Kingdom, (Seriously, am I the only one who realizes the hole in that logic? He knows he's been called "Game King" and "Pharaoh," but he doesn't remember his past? That's just wacked up. You'd think they'd figure out he was Egyptian from the "Pharaoh" bit but nooo, they had to go to a MUSEUM to figure it out.) Isis wouldn't have called Yami "King Yami" or suggested that "Yami" was his real name, and seriously, a lot of things would be different if I owned Yu-Gi-Oh!. But, clearly it is as it is, so I don't own it. (Oh, read the manga, don't watch the 4kids! dub, and watch what is known as "season zero." The manga actually makes SENSE! And there's no stupid fillers *coughnoahcough* disturbing the flow of the timeline! And in season zero, Yami is just freaking epic, and it actually has a better story of how Yuugi solved the puzzle and all that, instead of the craptastic way 4kids! conveniently stuck in that story.)

So now, without further ado...

LET'S BEGIN!

; o

The first year homeroom at Domino High buzzed with chatter and nerves. Most of the students there had known each other since middle school, as most parents sent their kids to the city's schools and not private or homeschooled. Others were new, for one reason or another. But they were welcomed with open arms and sympathetic offers, and the regular bullies gave them harsh treatment, the others telling the new students to ignore it, as the bullies did that to all the newcomers.

In one of the desks by the wide window on the left side of the classroom was a boy, staring out of the window with a seemingly blank look, but his mind was buzzing. Who was this boy, with his unique hair, childish features and violet eyes that gave him an impeccable air of innocence? His name is Yuugi Mutou, and his thoughts were turned to his friend, Katsuya Jonouchi, who would most definitely be late if he didn't—

"I am SO not late so don't yank my chain!" someone shouted as they slammed the sliding door of the homeroom open, revealing an average-height teenage boy with messy blonde hair and honey brown eyes that held a hint of green-if you were to look close enough. He was correct in saying he wasn't late; school had yet to actually start, which gave the students this free time. Several people cheered and clapped at his entrance, others laughed, others both, and the new students looked confused. Those who were tired from the sleepless fretting nights either ignored him, mumbled something in greeting, or glared, and a few told him to "shut his trap." The boy laughed at all the mixed reactions, and grinned as some people explained to the new students that this was regular behavior from him.

Who was this strange, eccentric teenager, who brought a smile to everyone's faces? He was Yuugi Mutou's best friend, Katsuya Jonouchi, of course. The two were almost only seen apart when it was required (as in, different classes and separate houses), and all other times they seemed to spend time with each other. Even though the two had a circle of friends, the two turned to each other for help, Jonouchi only hesitating to ask Yuugi to help when his problems could put him in danger. They had gone through much together in the few years of middle school, though, and little Yuugi proved to be strong at heart; his body just had yet to catch up with that strength.

When Jonouchi' or "Jou," as he was dubbed; had finally caught his breath, made his way to an empty desk to the right of Yuugi. He all but collapsed into the chair of his now-claimed seat next to his friend and flashed a grin. "Hey, Yug,'" he greeted the smaller, ruffling his friend's unique tri-colored hair.

Yuugi laughed and swatted his hand away. "Hi, Jou," he responded, sending a smile of his own. "I thought for sure you would end up late."

"I'm not gonna do a floozy on my attendance record like in middle school!" Jou declared with a huff, causing Yuugi, and a few others that heard, to laugh.

It was true. Jou had great attendance all his life, due to his almost inhuman health. Some joked that germs were too scared of him to try. But in middle school, a gang he'd associated with in the past (yup, yup, gangs in elementary. Not that far-fetched if you think about it) blackmailed him with threats against his friends to join them again. It was the fact he wasn't at school that alarmed said friends. They succeeded in getting him back from the gang-that is, after a certain someone's "other half" gave them quite a nasty shock... literally.

The rest of their usual circle walked up to them at that point: a boy with long white hair and soft brown eyes that gave him an air similar to Yuugi's, but there was also wisdom hiding there; a girl with short hair cut to above the shoulder with light blue eyes that gave one the sense of security, like a mother-in fact, their class referred to her as such; a boy with brown hair up in a spike and green eyes that could almost be mistaken for brown-key word being "almost."

Their names? Well, that's easy. The white-haired boy, who had been fawned over when he first transferred and even today girls loved him, was called Ryou Bakura.

The girl with the comforting eyes, called "mother" by some behind her back and sometimes to her face-some were surprised when she didn't get angry with the nickname, and were further surprised to find out she liked it-was legally named Anzu Mazaki.

The boy with those ruddy green eyes, strange hair and smile that gave him the most confident aura-for which some envied him-was called Honda Hiroto. Some joked about his first name, which was also a car company's name, and it was very common for him to be called the names the company gave their cars. Some also called him "motorcycle," which was for sure to be more common once it was made known he got a motorcycle recently.

The three greeted Yuugi and Jou, who responded with just as much happiness as their friends.

"Dude, what happened?" Honda asked Jou. "Ya sleep through your alarm?"

Jou glared and made a sound akin to a dog's growl. "S' not like ya can blame me! I was stressin' about the first day like ev'rybody else!"

Anzu chuckled. "Yes, we know," she said soothingly, as the group of friends found a comfortable position to stand in around Jou and Yuugi's desks. "But, Jou, promise me you'll get a good night's sleep tonight?" she asked, then added quickly, "That goes for the rest of you, too," pointing at Honda, Yuugi and Ryou. They laughed as Jou replied with a "yes, mom," in a tone like a child that wasn't really listening. This earned him a slap to the back of his head, causing others in the class to laugh.

As the others talked, Yuugi occupied himself with staring out the window again. Now that Jou was accounted for, his thoughts turned to another, one who had not even gone to school before-as far as Yuugi knew- yet somehow managed to enroll in the school a grade ahead of them all. Yuugi thought it fit, as the one he was thinking of was much more mature than them, yet fierce when needed, especially when harm came to or was threatened against—

"Yuugi?" Ryou's concerned voice cut through said boy's thoughts, and he turned back to his friends to see they were all looking at him with concern." Are you alright?" Ryou asked, voicing the other's concern as well as his own.

Yuugi gave a reassuring smile that did help them calm their worries, but their worries dissipated and understanding took place at Yuugi's answer:

"I'm fine. Just worried about him, is all."

They all knew who he spoke of.

Oh, but this mysterious not-so-much stranger must be introduced. He was once a spirit dwelling in a golden artifact, who became bound to Yuugi when the boy completed it halfway through the second year of middle school. Said spirit punished those who hurt Yuugi and his friends through the means of strange, and as some would argue twisted, magic-imbued games. Once Yuugi was made aware of his presence, he, albeit somewhat influenced by the fact a mysterious Egyptian in fact called the spirit the "other you," came to the conclusion that this spirit was his "other half," like a split personality. Once his friends found out, he was officially dubbed "other Yuugi" by them, and by Yuugi's grandfather, Sugoroku.

The spirit, having lost his memories and having access to Yuugi's, also believed this, though aware that Yuugi was the main occupant of the body and thus only coming out under certain circumstances. Eventually the games seemed to become less and less twisted, Yuugi's trust of him grew, and they began to talk with one another.

Another two years passed and along the way it was discovered that the spirit was not a part of Yuugi and was, in fact, trapped in the puzzle and was an ancient pharaoh of 3,000 years. They unlocked his memories, and after Yuugi beat him in a ceremonial duel, the spirit, instead of moving on to the afterlife, decided to stay in the current time, as he felt as if this was his home, now, instead of something he felt was a dream, as the memories of his time as pharaoh were still somewhat fuzzy and unclear. The gods gave him a body, which accurately depicted his form as a spirit, even the paler skin, as opposed to the tanned skin he would've gained had he moved on.

That was over the summer between the last year of middle school and the first of high school. The spirit, using a combination of both his old and new name, gained documents proving his existence, along with records proving he was around for as long as he appeared to have been. These were gained with the help of the billionaire, Seto Kaiba, who owed them a favor. And now, at the first day, they were all anticipating lunch, which would be the first time they could talk freely to the once-spirit. What was his name, though? During his time in the puzzle, he was sometimes called "Yami no Yuugi," which was then shortened to just "Yami," and soon they all saw it as his name, although still called by the many nicknames he'd gotten over the years. During his time as pharaoh, however, he was called "Atemu." After a while they called him that a few times, but it felt more natural to call him "Yami."

Yami truly looked like a darker Yuugi, with his similar hair, though with more blonde, his facial structure like an Egyptian despite his semi-pale skin, and piercing red eyes that many found they couldn't look straight on. Most probably would mistake the ex-spirit as Yuugi from afar, but would soon learn and if the person had intentions of harming Yuugi, the group knew, albeit Yuugi was reluctant to admit it, Yami would most likely punish the offending person. Even without the Millennium Puzzle, Yami-though now his legal name was "Atemu Yami Sennen"-still had his shadow magic, and was definitely frightening when he called upon them. But before they even left the Kame Game shop, where Yami had taken up residence, Yuugi made him promise not to use his magic. This had let them relax a bit, knowing Yami was determined to, as he said, "never fail Yuugi again," (A/N: making a reference to the DOMA arc when Yuugi lost his soul) but also knew he would use his magic if someone had shown true malicious intent.

So now, they were all worried, wondering how he was holding up. Their mind link had been severed when Yami was made mortal again, so that wasn't an option. Yuugi could only fret, wondering what his darker half was doing at this exact—

"Yo! All of you, siddown and shut up!" their homeroom teacher shouted over her students. The shock of the sudden harsh voice scared all the students into their seats, leaving Yuugi and Jou away from the others. But that was fine with them. The teacher nodded, seeming to be pleased that all eyes were on her.

She was petite, but not short. In fact, her height was that of an average student, and it would be impossible to differentiate her from one, had it not been for her sharp features and lack of a student's uniform. She wore a v-neck blouse that was the most settle shade of violet with small ruffles along the neckline, with a truly white camisole underneath trimmed with lace at the neckline. The camisole's neckline fell a few inches below the collarbone, enough to be modest yet not too much as to be considered stingy about the whole thing. Her skirt fell to her knees and was loose, not sticking to her legs, but staying snugly at her waist. It was a dark shade of purple, as some said later the "maroon of purple," as it had the same amount of darkness has maroon might have in red. The pockets on the skirt had people talking, but they weren't for decoration; she used them, and surprised people every day she wore that skirt with how roomy the pockets really were. She wore black ballet flats that had no shine, but instead of thinking they were dirty one would think they were simply made from something without sheen. Small bows were apparent at the edge near the toes, seeming to wrap around where the foot enters the shoe. Some at the front could see the socks she wore, that were made for wearing flats, but others wondered how she didn't get blisters. There was a single golden bracelet around her left wrist, and when her arm moved, the bracelet moved only slightly, never banging annoyingly against her hand. There was a semi-thick silver chain, seeming strong enough not to break but small enough that just about any pendant or charm could fit on it, that seemed to be woven. The chain wrapped around the base of her neck, like a noose, some compared it to later. A single decoration was on the chain, which hung snugly against her skin, not being covered by the camisole. To those in the first few rows, it could be seen that the charm was a rod with a crescent on either side, forming the shape of an "x" had the rod not been there. She would sometimes carelessly fiddle with the charm, almost unaware of her actions. Some said it marked her as a witch, Wiccan or a member of some other cult; some thought it could be her family crest; still others said it might have been a charm from overseas or a temple.

Her skin was average, with a faint tan that said she spent time in the sun as maybe a child. Her eyes, a shade of violet that made Yuugi think of Marik's eyes and thought hers lighter, were definitely sharp and with the small, contemplative frown that dared someone defy her, commanded respect. Her hair, pulled back into a twist ponytail near the top of her head, was black; true black, not near-black. Strands of hair framed either side of her face, a clump of hair shorter than the rest lazily staying near her left eye, no matter how many times she brushed it away. One could only take a guess at how long her hair really was, as the twist ponytail, as it was, fell barely to the hairline at the base of her neck.

A light layer of lipstick could be seen, only making her lips look tan though seemed natural on her face. Some eye shadow was spread on her eyelids in an exotic way up to the base of her semi-thin, pitch-black eyebrows, having almost a shading effect though it shimmered in the light. Some would say there were traces of bronzer or blush on her face. Her eyelashes had a quick application of mascara, defining her eyes and making them seem sharper than without. Was there eyeliner? No one looked close enough to find out. Small diamond studs sparkled in the sun from the lobes of her ears.

She stood, hands on her hips, thinking frown in place, looking out at the students she would have in homeroom and possibly her other classes this year and later, which were biology and chemistry, evident by the table with many tubes and other tools necessary for chemistry, and the books to be handed out later. The posters around the room probably helped, too. (A/N: strange bit of "duh" sarcasm I put in.)

"My name," she said firmly, voice brimming with authority, "is Aikotoba Kushikito, and you will address me as Kushikito-sensei, understand?" The students slowly nodded, one by one. Aikotoba nodded back and flashed a small smile, and something caring flashed in her eyes. "Good," she said softly, scaring them all, who were already used to her gruff nature. It caused several to re-evaluate their first impression of her. Later, some students compared her to the "tsundere" character common in manga, who was hard on the outside but is soft on the inside.

Quickly she regained that hard outer shell, but the soft smile stayed. "Now, students," she began, "you probably think this is all who will be in this class for the year, correct?" The students nodded, showing confused expressions. Aikotoba chuckled and crossed her arms loosely, seeming to relax. "Well, you'd be wrong," she said with a wink, causing more confused faces. She began to explain. "Perhaps in a week or two, or maybe even less time, a foreign exchange student-" She stopped talking abruptly as chatter arose in a soft blanket, but irritating all the same. "Yo! Pay attention," she called, using the sharp tone from when they first heard her. The class instantly stopped talking and looked at her. She nodded in approval. "Good. Now, as I was saying, a foreign exchange student will be joining our class." She surveyed the class before asking, "Any questions?"

Hatoshiro Fujiwara, an albino boy who joined their class the third year of middle school, raised his hand. Everyone knew he didn't like attention on himself, and weren't surprised to see the bright red color splashing his tone-deprived pale skin. Aikotoba nodded her head, and while she raised an eyebrow at his pale appearance, said nothing and smiled warmly to give him an okay to speak. He took a deep breath to ignore the eyes on him and asked, "Wh-where are they from?" The class murmured in appreciation of the question, and one of his friends praised him quietly for speaking up. The students turned to Aikotoba, who was waiting for them to quiet down.

She smiled in a way to let them know she was thinking. After a moment she sighed and her smile fell to a frown. Some people whispered in question as she walked to behind the desk, which she had various things on but seemed like she rarely sat behind it. Looking through a few papers, she "aha"-d when she supposedly found what she was looking for. "Here it is," Aikotoba said. "I should've had this out before," she mumbled before scanning the page and smiling in victory. "Ah, she's travelling here from Paris, France."

"France?" Jou outburst, standing up. Aikotoba gave him a stern look, though he didn't back down.

"Is there a problem, Jonouchi-san?" she asked with a true frown.

"We-we can't have someone from France in here! It would upset the balance!" he exclaimed. Some nodded in bashful agreement, others keeping it to themselves. Aikotoba stared for a moment as if stunned, before letting out peals of laughter. Her class stared in amazement, the mystery of their teacher only deepening.

"Oh!" she began after her laughter died down to chuckles and giggles. "You're all adhering to the stereotype that French men and women are all pompous and don't tolerate others, thinking all are below them?" Her class stared in amazement at her while Jou nodded slowly. She chuckled again and shook her head. "Well, let me assure you all, not all those in France are like that. In fact, that thought is only a misconception."

"What d'ya mean?" A girl near the front asked with wonder. Aikotoba tilted her head, a broad smile still on.

"They have customs in their land that foreigners don't understand. For example, when they shop, they only get enough for the meal they're cooking later, while a tourist on vacation would buy all he or she needs for the week. In the people's eyes, that person would seem like a glutton. Hence the scornful looks." The class listened, drinking in the information. "Many things we and other countries do are considered odd and strange in France. They do have a great self-conscious culture, and move at a... slow pace, so to speak. They don't rush things unless it's something urgent, I would believe, but I'm not sure."

"Um-!" A shy girl with blue hair and equally blue eyes raised her hand with a bashful blush. "Um- Kushikito-sensei, h-how do you know so much?" the girl asked.

Aikotoba smiled lightly. "Oh, that's a bit of a personal matter..." She spaced out for a moment before coming back to earth with a shake of her head."Anyway, what I am saying is, don't worry about her being pompous. And, from what I've heard, this girl would be more likely to try and assimilate to this culture in an attempt not to stand out."

"Hey, wait!" A boy with messy raven-black hair and sky blue eyes raised his hand with a fervent energy, causing those around him to grumble in complaint. Aikotoba sighed quietly but nodded an okay. "So, what should we do to help her?" Several looked at him, not expecting the question from him, of all people. Most thought him to be self-centered. He blinked at the stares. "What?"

Aikotoba cleared her throat, gaining the attention of her class once again. "For the most part, regard her kindly. Do not invade her space or ask personal questions of her, as that would be considered rude to her," she said, and paused before continuing. "If she seems interested in anything any of you are doing, say, if she is watching the lot of you play basketball, it would be kind if someone went over and asked if she wanted to join, hm?" She raised an eyebrow, making it clear that it wasn't a suggestion. "Do not press for information or ask her "why." The French have many things that even they don't know why. If she refuses to join an activity or promptly excuses herself, don't question it, and kindly allow her to take her leave if she so wishes." All of this said with a stern expression. "And if any harm comes to her, in any way, emotional or physical," she growled out the rest of her sentence, "the offending person or persons will have to answer to me."

Jou had long before sat down, during the French explanation. But at this, he stood up again. "Why's it your problem?"

Aikotoba refrained from yelling at him, knowing from his eyes he was simply curious. She took a deep breath before replying. "During her time here; which may be through to senior year depending on what happens; I have been made her guardian, as parents of foreign exchange students do not travel with them."

Satisfied with the explanation, Jou sat down. A silence fell over the classroom. Aikotoba huffed before stating, "Go on, next period for you all!"Before anyone could say the bell hadn't rung, said bell did indeed go off. The students filed out, and among the last was Yuugi. He stole a glance inside to see Aikotoba sink into the swivel chair behind her desk before leaning forward, placing her head in her left hand, her right hand fiddling with the mysterious charm around her neck.

The next three periods went by rather quickly, as they mostly consisted of their teachers trying to put faces to the names they'd already memorized. They had been given textbooks, but no lessons had been taught. As the bell rang, signaling the end of third period, Yuugi was one of the first out the door. When his friends finally caught up with him, he had already put his book bag away and had his bento, and was just about to head out to eat, when: "Hey, Yug'! What's with the rush?" Jou called, finally getting the smaller boy to slow down and wait for them. Yuugi grinned sheepishly and walked outside with his friends.

"S-sorry, I'm just nervous," he told them. When he got blank stares and a confused frown, he laughed nervously. "Well, there haven't been any explosions or shadow magic, so I'm taking that as a good sign, but..." As he trailed off and sighed dramatically, his friends laughed, and they all sat beneath the Sakura tree in the eating area to have lunch.

"Speaking of, does he know where to come?" Anzu asked Yuugi, a bit of worry on her face. He nodded.

"Yeah, I showed him before we went separate ways this morning."

"Ah, good," Anzu breathed, relaxing a bit more. The rest nodded in agreement.

"AIBOU!" The loud shout that was unmistakably overjoyed and relieved sounded from near the school corner that hid the Sakura tree. Ryou, Anzu, Jou and Honda looked up in greeting. Yuugi no doubt heard it, but he merely twitched, not even turning around, acting as if the voice was never heard. As the bearer of the voice sat down hurriedly next to Yuugi and gave his greetings to the others, Yuugi still gave no reaction. "Aibou? What's wrong?" Yuugi, now that no one but their little group could hear clearly, sighed and turned to the person.

It was, in fact, the spirit turned human that he'd once shared a body with. Yuugi nearly hugged Yami when he saw the concern and hurt that came from not getting a greeting from him. Yuugi sighed, relenting and answering him. "Yami, I thought we went over this."

The former spirit blinked. The rest were just as confused as he was. "H-huh?"

"I told you before we left for school, remember?" At Yami's confused shake of the head, Yuugi sighed again. "I told you not to call me 'aibou.'"

Yami made an expression very akin to a pout. "Why not? You still sometimes call me 'Mou Hitori no Boku'..."

"That's different."

"How?"

"Because people will understand if I call you that." Yami blinked with confusion. Yuugi sighed. "'Aibou' has a double meaning."

Another blink. "It does?" Yuugi nodded. "What?"

"I know you mean it as 'partner', but another meaning for it is 'loved one'."

At that logic Yami was even more confused. "What's the problem with that?" There were a few sniggers and restrained laughter from Ryou, Jou, Honda and Anzu. Yami glared at them sharply before turning his attention back to his former host.

Yuugi looked mortified at Yami's non-understanding and sighed and groaned at the same time. "Yami, when 'aibou' is meant to mean 'loved one', it's usually a pet name between lovers."

A few more moments passed by, and suddenly, Yami's eyes widened in realization. His face reddened and mouth fell open in embarrassment. The others laughed, as it was rare to see that kind of reaction from the former pharaoh. "I... I didn't know that," he said after a moment, still flustered at the information that his pet name for Yuugi was often used between lovers.

Yuugi finally let out his own laughter, causing Yami's blush to increase. He hung his head, knowing the embarrassment was deserved, no matter how much he didn't like it. "I know you didn't know, that's why I'm telling you," Yuugi finally said when his laughter died down. "So, I assume you're not gonna call me that here?"

Yami nodded his head quickly, eager to be forgiven. "Yes, Ai- um, Yuugi..."

Yuugi grinned. "Good." They all laughed and Yami's blush finally began to diminish.

"Hey Yams," Jou began, gaining the ex-spirit's attention. "Did ya hear about the new transfer?"

Yami blinked. "Huh?"

"She's not here yet," Ryou clarified.

"Yeah, but she's gonna be in about a week or so," Honda said.

"Oh."

"Yeah. She's from France, can you believe it?" Anzu exclaimed.

"Huh?" Yami was confused again.

"Nowadays, the French are known for being stuck up," Yuugi informed him.

"Oh." Yami paused. "Which class is she transferring in? I didn't hear about it..."

"She's comin' into our class," Jou said.

"That's probably why you didn't hear," Ryou mused. They all agreed.

"But do you think she'll cause trouble, because she's French?" Yami still had a hard time with that.

They all shook their heads. "No. Aikotoba-sensei told us-"

"Aikotoba-san is your homeroom?" Yami cut in.

"-San?" they all said with disbelief.

Yami nodded. "She told us to call her sensei, but I thought -san would be alright outside the classroom."

"I dunno, dude," Jou said.

"What class do you have her in?" Yuugi asked.

"Second period chemistry," Yami said after a moment of thinking. He frowned. "Why?"

Yuugi shrugged. "Dunno. We really don't know much about her."

"Yeah! I don't know if we can trust her or not, yet," Honda said.

"Really?" Ryou said, incredulous. "She seemed alright to me."

"Yeah, I thought so, too," Yami said.

"She seemed nice, but something was off," Anzu said, siding with Jou and Honda.

Yuugi sighed. "Does it really matter? It's not like there's a war on."

"The others in my class seemed to like her, and they were here before me," Yami began. "They said she's been here for a while."

"Really?" Anzu was shocked. "She barely looked over twenty!"

"One of the girls said she was twenty-nine," Yami informed them. They all gasped in shock.

"Wow," Anzu drawled. "Nearly thirty and looking so young! I wonder what makeup she uses!"

"But even so, she couldn't have been around for long," Ryou mused. "Maybe five years at the most."

Yami shrugged. "They didn't specify."

"We should eat instead of talk, lunch is almost over!" Yuugi exclaimed, looking at his watch. The rest looked at their respective watches and made a shout of surprise. They quickly ate their lunches, finishing and running back into the school moments before the bell rang.

-.x.- Chapter one: Finished! -.x.-

Author's note (le-gasp!): *shifts uncomfortably* So, how was that? Did I get their personalities at least partially right? And if I didn't and they need to be completely gone, too bad because I'll file it under creative liscence... I think.

ABOUT THE INFORMATION ON FRENCH PEOPLE!: I really DID do research on this before blindly running in, and yes, from what I gathered the French are very laid-back and don't like to rush things unless needed. But if I've gotten anything wrong please tell me...